Homelessness and Housing

Question 1

Main reasons for homelessness in Ottawa

Answer 1

• Insufficient income
• Discrimination
• Substance use
• Unfit/unsafe housing
• Conflict with partner
• Experience of abuse

Question 2

Types of homelessness “users”

Answer 2

• Most are 1 time users of shelters
• 2 to 10% are chronic users (6+ months)
• 3 to 11% are episodic users (poor housing, slipping in and out of housing, etc.)

Question 3

Factors associated with homelessness - individual level

Answer 3

• Unemployment, poverty
• Mental illness
• Substance abuse
• Social isolation

Question 4

Factors associated with homelessness - family level

Answer 4

• Single parent, female led, visible minority, violence and abuse, education

Question 5

Factors associated with homelessness - structural causes

Answer 5

• Broader social and economic factors that create or foreclose opportunities
• Income
• Housing availability/affordability
• Absence of prevention
• Transitions from care
• Discrimination

Question 6

Consequences of homelessness - individuals

Answer 6

• Mental health challenges
• Chronic health challenges
• Poor nutrition
• Risk of injury and assault
• Barriers to accessing health and social services
• Higher mortality rates and shorter life expectancies

Question 7

Consequences of homelessness - families

Answer 7

• Family separations
• Parent stress and mental health problems
• Social isolation
• Disruption of family routines and parenting practices
• For children disruptions in school, stress, and anxiety, loss of friends

Question 8

Homelessness interventions

Answer 8

• Prevention
• Universal prevention (adequate supply of affordable housing and poverty reduction strategies, like affordable child care)
• Selected prevention (school based programs and anti oppression strategies for individuals facing discrimination, programs aimed at low income people)
• Indicated prevention (support for families experiencing violence and individuals facing mental health and addictions challenges)
• Shelters
• Custodial housing
• Supportive housing
• Supported housing
• Housing first

Question 9

Shelters

Answer 9

• Was an emergency response to homelessness but is now management response to homelessness
• Shift to integrating range of services
• Life in shelters is stressful, over crowded, regulated, and unhealthy
• With shelters aging an over-flowing, pressure is being placed to fund newer and larger shelters

Question 10

Family options study

Answer 10

• Hundreds of families across 12 communities in US
• Experimental design with three approaches: Permanent housing subsidy, rapid rehousing, transitional housing
• Early findings appear to support housing subsidies as most strongly associated with more intact families and fewer returns to shelters

Question 11

Housing for people with serious mental illness in Ontario

Answer 11

• Dedicated housing system funded by the ministry of health and long term care
• Mix of private and non for profit providers
• Mix of models

Question 12

Custodial Housing

Answer 12

• First form of housing emerging post deinstitutionalization
• Focus on treatment and rehab (through little rehab and support services avail.)
• Mental health provider as expert
• Often offered by for profit providers
• Board and care style housing
• Replication of the institution in the community
• No research evidence in support of benefits from this type of housing
• Not great but we’re still doing this

Question 13

Supportive (single-site, congregate) housing

Answer 13

• Non profit housing
• People share houses or apartment building
• Support provided on site by trained, professional staff (linked to housing residency)
• Greater emphasis on psychosocial rehab
• Expectation of graduation to more independent forms of housing (which is rarely realized)
• Almost like a group home

Question 14

Supported (scattered site, independent) housing

Answer 14

• People receive housing subsidies and choose the apartment where they want to live
• Often independent apartments which are scattered throughout the city
• Portable support provided to the individual
• Focus on individual empowerment, recovery, and community integration
• Research evidence of a range of positive outcomes
• What we want but it’s actually really hard to do

Question 15

Housing first

Answer 15

• Linked to supported housing, though may be any form of housing chosen by individual
• Housing people with no preconditions
• Housing as a right
• Used to house people who have serious mental illness and experiences of chronic homelessness
• Intensive, individualized support (ACT or intensive case management)

Question 16

At home/chez moi project

Answer 16

• Found that housing first improves housing stability
• Needs to be paired with specialized supports